Tuesday, November 15, 2011

LAPD finds man engulfed in flames

Area where man of fire was found
A Los Angeles Police Department patrol car Tuesday night came upon a man engulfed in flames.

The officers made the discovery about 9 p.m. in the 3200 block of San Fernando Road along the border with Burbank, police said. It was unclear what sparked the blaze.

"The unit was driving by and saw the man on fire," Officer Karen Rayner told The Times.

The man, believed to be about 30 years old, was taken to a hospital with third-degree buns, Rayner said.

No other details were immediately available.

ALSO:

Dry, cold winter predicted for Southern California

Ellen DeGeneres, others help family after their U-Haul was stolen

Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows the area where police found the man on fire. Credit: Times' Mapping L.A.

Long Beach Occupy protesters urge council to let them camp

In a Tuesday night meeting, supporters and members of the Long Beach Occupy movement urged the City Council to approve a 24-hour free speech zone that would allow them to pitch tents at a park adjacent to Long Beach City Hall. 

They also submitted a petition for the request, which was signed by 540 people.

The Long Beach protests began in mid-October, but members of the movement have been unable to camp out at Lincoln Park; city ordinances forbid overnight camping in public parks.

"A tent is a symbol of the occupy movement," Long Beach resident Tammara Phillips told council members during the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours. "For some of us, a tent is all we have." 

"Please, this occupation is about hope," said David Sandoval, a business owner and supporter. "We're fighting to change the world." 

Tuesday's discussion followed a more contentious meeting of the council last week at which the activists brought the session to a halt chanting "We are the 99%."

By the end of Tuesday's meeting, the council directed City Manager Patrick West to meet with police and other city staff, as well as some protesters, and report back with options.

Several members of the group said they were disappointed with the decision and others were angry, saying they  had asked the council to allow them to camp at the park until the report was ready.

"Tonight was a slap on the face," said Jonathan Allen. "It's a delay tactic."

-- Ruben Vives in Long Beach

San Diego sheriff blasts "Dr. Phil" shows about Coronado death as "sensationalism"

Rebecca1
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore was not impressed with the two-part "Dr. Phil'' show that examined the death of Rebecca Zahau, including an autopsy by a well-known pathologist that found supposedly troubling facts overlooked by the county medical examiner.

"This is nothing more than sensationalism at its lowest point and the family is only enduring more suffering from this insensitivity," Gore said in a statement hours after the second part of the show was broadcast Tuesday on the CBS affiliate in San Diego.

Gore said nothing mentioned in the show has convinced him to reopen the investigation into Zahau's death or to doubt the findings of his detectives, the medical examiner and the Coronado police that Zahau, 32, committed suicide.

"The case remains concluded," Gore said.  The show, spread over two days, "altered and misrepresented facts, as well as omitted pertinent facts altogether," he added.

In his statement, Gore also sought to discredit comments made by a lawyer representing Zahau's family, a private investigator and pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht about supposed overlooked evidence involving DNA and use of a computer after Zahau's death. He noted that none of the guests on the show had contacted the Sheriff's Department with evidence.

The Zahau family reached out to the "Dr. Phil" show because it hoped a further investigation would prove that Rebecca Zahau was murdered. Wecht, known for his involvement in high-profile cases, said that although he thinks it's possible she was killed, he cannot make a final conclusion.

Gore criticized Wecht for not contacting the Sheriff's Department or medical examiner with an offer for county personnel to attend the autopsy, "as is normal protocol" among pathologists.

Zahau was found nude and hanging from the balcony of her boyfriend's Coronado mansion July 13.

Gore had declined an invitation to appear on the show but did speak, off camera, with the show's host, Phil McGraw, while the heavily promoted show was being prepared. In his statement, Gore referred to McGraw as an "entertainment psychologist."

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Rebecca Zahau. Credit: Associated Press

Occupy Oakland: Arrested protester could be deported

Occupy Oakland protester outlines another with chalkA protester who was arrested when police swooped down on the Occupy Oakland encampment could be deported.

Federal authorities have put an immigration hold on Francisco Ramos Stierle, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for the Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency.

The hold, she told The Times on Tuesday night, "is an indication that we believe this individual is potentially deportable."

PHOTOS: Occupy Oakland

Stierle, 36, was arrested at Frank Ogawa Plaza on Monday morning when police swooped down on the area and cleared the encampment. Nearly three dozen protesters were arrested.

Stierle was charged with refusing to disperse and disorderly conduct, according to online Alameda County Jail records. He was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

The Oakland Tribune, which reported Stierle's arrest, said he hails from Mexico City.

FULL COVERAGE: Occupy protests around the nation

Kice said the immigration detainer does not preempt any local prosecution and that an immigration court would ultimately decide whether Stierle would be deported.

ALSO:

Dry, cold winter predicted for Southern California

Ellen DeGeneres, others help family after their U-Haul was stolen

Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: An Occupy Oakland protester outlines another in chalk Monday. Credit: Mathew Sumner / Getty Images

Freed inmate is back in custody

A California inmate paroled because doctors thought he was too sick to "perform activities of basic daily living" is back under guard after nurses said they caught him masturbating in his hospital bed.

Convicted burglar Peter Post, 33, may now have to complete the rest of his 31-year sentence behind bars, if a prison doctor determines he's not as sick as previously believed.

Citing healthcare privacy laws, prison officials refused to describe the illness that qualified Post for the state's new controversial medical parole program Nov. 3.

He was only out for five days before the nurses reported him.

Generally, an inmate has to be so incapacitated that they no longer pose a threat to public safety, need 24-hour care and are "permanently unable to perform activities of basic daily living," according to a corrections department press release.

Since the law went into effect on Jan. 1, 24 inmates have been granted medical parole.

ALSO:

Dry, cold winter predicted for Southern California

Ellen DeGeneres, others help family after their U-Haul was stolen

Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery

 

--Jack Dolan

Man dies, another in critical condition after being overcome by fumes

Fullerton paint company
Two workers cleaning out a storage tank at a Fullerton paint company were overcome by powerful fumes that left one of them dead and the other in critical condition, police said Tuesday evening.

The 62-year-old man died at a hospital after he was found by a co-worker Tuesday afternoon at Vista Paints on east Orangethorpe Avenue, the Fullerton Police Department said.

The man and another worker were unconscious inside the tank, which they had been cleaning with a paint-stripping chemical, Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said. The second worker was 45.

Goodrich said there appeared to be no criminal misconduct. The names of the two victims were not released.

The incident was being investigated Tuesday night by Cal-OSHA.

ALSO:

Dry, cold winter predicted for Southern California

Ellen DeGeneres, others help family after their U-Haul was stolen

Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Vista Paints. Credit: KTLA Channel 5

Registered sex offender convicted of entering O.C. park

Hugo Godinez
A registered sex offender was convicted for violating a recently enacted Orange County ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from entering county parks without written permission, officials said Tuesday.

Hugo Godinez, 29, who lives in Santa Ana, was convicted of the misdemeanor offense after he was charged with entering Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on May 5, the Orange County district attorney's office said.

The ordinance requires registered sex offenders to receive written permission from the Orange County Sheriff's Department before entering county parks.

Prosecutors said Godinez was also convicted on a misdemeanor count of failing to register and show proof of residency after being released from incarceration.

Godinez is required to register as a sex offender because he was convicted in June 2010 of a misdemeanor count of sexual battery, the district attorney's office said.

After county supervisors passed the ordinance in April, several Orange County cities enacted similar laws banning sex offenders from local parks.

ALSO:

Dry, cold winter predicted for Southern California

Ellen DeGeneres, others help family after their U-Haul was stolen

Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Hugo Godinez. Credit: Orange County district attorney's office

San Bernardino man dies after struggle with police

Image: Map shows approximate location of where a man struggled with police and eventually died in San Bernardino. Source: Google Maps A 29-year-old San Bernardino man died after being Tasered and pepper sprayed by police officers attempting to take him into custody Tuesday morning outside a board-and-care facility.

Police responded to a disturbance call in the 1100 block of East 26th Street just after 9 a.m.  The man, identified as Jonathan White, whose mother runs the facility, allegedly was yelling and threatening residents, according to a statement released by agency spokeswoman Lt. Gwendolyn Waters.

When officers attempted to take White into custody, he resisted, police said.  Officers then used a Taser  and pepper spray to control White, without success, and struggled with him until more officers arrived to assist, police said.

Paramedics were evaluating White at the scene when he stopped breathing. He was taken to St. Bernardine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead just after 10 a.m. A coroner’s investigation will determine his cause of death.

Three officers were treated for minor injuries sustained during the struggle, police said.

ALSO:

Dry, cold winter predicted for Southern California

Ellen DeGeneres, others help family after their U-Haul was stolen

Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery

-- Phil Willon

Image: Map shows approximate location of where a man struggled with police and eventually died in San Bernardino. Source: Google Maps

L.A. County supervisors angered over possible release of convicted felon

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday decried the potential release of a violent felon under the state's controversial prisoner release program.

Parolees and nonviolent felons who had formerly been under state care were shifted to local authorities when a new law went into effect in October. The change was the result of budget pressures and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that required California to reduce its prison population.

The parolees are supposed to be nonviolent, but Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich pointed out that one felon is scheduled to be released to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center this Friday. The parolee has been convicted of assaulting a peace officer and arson and arrested for rape and sexual battery, Antonovich said.

"Our facilities and our personnel are not equipped to handle this kind of individual," he said.

Three pit bulls that slaughtered 42 goats captured

Pit Bulls captured
Three of four pit bulls that fatally mauled dozens of goats in the Lake Los Angeles area have been captured by county animal-control personnel, officials said Tuesday evening.

Forty-two goats were slaughtered after the dogs descended on the property at 164th Street and Avenue Q Monday, county officials said.

"It appears that the pack mentality set in in this particular incident," said Aaron Reyes, deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.

Reyes said the dogs were captured Monday night. "They just fed off one another's energy and mischievous behavior," he told The Times.

Animal control officers are patrolling the area in hopes of finding the other pit bull, Reyes said. The captured dogs were in good condition but had no identifying microchips or tags.

Anyone with information about the dogs or the incident is asked to call animal control officials at (661) 974-8358.

ALSO:

Dry, cold winter predicted for Southern California

Ellen DeGeneres, others help family after their U-Haul was stolen

Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Captured pit bulls. Credit: Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control

Shooting in Berkeley leaves students, others on edge

A person was wounded after being shot by police at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business on Tuesday afternoon, according to sources.

The incident occured across campus from a simultaneous rally against education cuts and police action last week against the Occupy movement on campus.

Here are some Twitter messages from people on the scene:

Berkeley shooting: Four students in lab when man brandished gun

A UC Berkeley police officer shot and wounded a man brandishing a gun in a computer lab at the Haas School of Business on Tuesday. Four students were in the computer lab when the shooting occurred, but no one was hurt.

The suspect, a white man who appeared to be in his 20s and about 5 feet 8, was taken to Highland Hospital, where he was in surgery Tuesday afternoon. University officials said they did not know if the suspect was a student. The man was conscious when he was taken to the hospital.

The suspect entered the business school Tuesday afternoon, entering an elevator with a female employee from the school, UC police Chief Mitch Celaya said at a news conference. The man pressed the button for the third floor and the woman for the fifth floor.

The suspect then looked at the woman, pulled out what appeared to be a gun from a backpack and put it back. After leaving the elevator, the staff member told her boss and both went to the computer lab. They saw the suspect there and called police.

Police received a 911 call at 2:17 p.m. and three officers responded two minutes later.

The suspect then "pulled a firearm out of his backpack and displayed it in a threatening manner," Celaya said. He said the officers told the man to drop his weapon. When he didn't, one of the officers fired. Police would not say how many shots were fired.

When police showed up, the students were in between the officers and the gunman. "It appears our students' lives might have been at risk," Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau said.

Police would not say whether the suspect's gun was loaded.

Asked if there was any connection between the incident and the Occupy Cal protest, Celaya said: "We don't know. We're looking into that matter. There is nothing to suggest it is the case."

--- Maria L.  La Ganga in Berkeley

One shot at UC Berkeley business school

One person carrying a weapon was shot and wounded by police at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business on Tuesday afternoon, according to several news and official sources. 

No one else was reported hurt in the incident, which occurred across campus from a simultaneous rally against education cuts and police action last week against the Occupy movement on campus. 

The alleged gunman was taken to a local hospital, UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof told the Daily Californian campus newspaper.  A news conference about the incident is expected shortly.

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-- Maria LaGanga and Larry Gordon

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 319

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

Two-faced: Nanette Gonzales photographed a startling reflection on a bus in Boyle Heights on Nov. 2.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Bicyclists get own parking garage at Burbank Metrolink station

Burbank Metrolink bike parking
Bicyclists commuting from the Metrolink station in downtown Burbank now have their own parking facility, complete with 40 parking stalls and a repair stand.

Officials hope the addition will entice more people to use public transit.

Cyclists in the L.A. region have long complained about the lack of accommodations for their bikes at public transit hubs, but Burbank and state transportation officials on Monday touted the so-called Bike Stop as a major leap in convenience, the Burbank Leader reported.

The downtown Burbank Metrolink station is a busy hub for commuters from Antelope Valley and those working in Glendale and Los Angeles. The Bike Stop -- partially funded by the California Department of Transportation -- gives bicyclists a spot to park their bikes for free, instead of having to lug their equipment around from station to station.

The building comes equipped with a video surveillance system. Registered users will get an access code in advance to enter the facility and lock their bikes, officials said.

A small classroom space could be converted to accommodate more bikes in the future if demand outstrips availability.

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-- Jason Wells and Ross A. Benson, Times Community News

Photo: Burbank Mayor Jess Talamantes demonstrates a parking stall at the newly opened Bike Stop at the downtown Burbank Metrolink station on Monday. Credit: Ross A. Benson / Times Community News

More than 1,000 take part in UC Berkeley general strike

Protestors post signs atop a UC Berkeley building as they participate in an Occupy Cal rally outside Sproul Hall
The general strike at UC Berkeley may have started slowly, with a smattering of classes taking place on chilly Sproul Plaza over the course of the morning. But by noon, the protest was in full swing.


More than 1,000 chanting, singing, sign-waving students and faculty members spilled down the steps of Sproul Hall and crowded the balcony of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, where protesters had hung red placards spelling out the word "ACTION" in bold black letters.

A chant of "Hey, hey, ho, ho, police violence has got to go," kicked off the so-called Open University, a reference to a protest last week that was broken up by baton-wielding police officers.

Dan Mogulof, the university's executive director of public affairs, said the Sproul Plaza crowd numbered about 1,200.  Berkeley's enrollment is about 35,000.

"A lot of students are opting to participate," Mogulof said, "but a lot are opting to go to class. There are a lot of teach-outs here. Work is getting done. It appears for the most part that classes are continuing."

No L.A. park for former site of South Central Farm

South Central farm

On Tuesday, the city of Los Angeles went back on its promise of creating a park on land that was once home to the South Central Farm.

In a 12-0 vote, the City Council approved a revision of an earlier deal with real estate developer Ralph Horowitz that required him to donate 2.6 acres of the 14-acre plot for use as a park. The revision allows Horowitz to keep that section of land and instead pay roughly $3.6 million for renovations at existing parks and a housing project in nearby.

In 2003 the city sold the parcel to Horowitz, who had previously owned the land but lost it to the city in 1980 through eminent domain. After reacquiring the land, Horowitz in 2006 evicted the hundreds of farmers who had tilled the soil there for years -- a dramatic incident that spurred an outcry and an Oscar-nominated documentary, "The Garden."

Tuesday’s decision was met with loud protest by some of the farmers, who said the promise of a park had been a silver lining. After the vote, several dozen supporters of the farm erupted in shouts and chants of “Shame on you” and “No more warehouses.”  Horowitz is currently escrow with four apparel companies who want to build clothing factories that would require all 14 acres of the property at 41st and Alameda streets.

Among the protesters Tuesday was actress Daryl Hannah, who camped out in a tree on the community garden in 2006 to protest the evictions. She called Tuesday's action, which was backed by City Councilwoman Jan Perry, an example of “shocking and even joyous corruption.”

Perry, who is running for mayor in 2013, said the neighborhood where the plot of land is located, a heavily industrial stretch of South Los Angeles, is not an appropriate place for a new park.

She said Horowitz's $3.6 million payment would go a long way to improve two nearby parks and a housing development, Pueblo del Rio. Some 40% of the residents at Pueblo del Rio are 17 years old or younger, she said, and the development hasn't seen improvements to its recreational facilities since 1986.

ALSO:

Talking on cellphone at red light? Don’t do it, court says

UC Berkeley chancellor criticizes police in Occupy Cal clash

Zahau family takes fight to reopen mansion death to "Dr. Phil"

-- Kate Linthicum

Photo: In August, activists demonstrated in support of a creating a Los Angeles city park on part of the site of the former South Central Farm. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times 

At Schools, Making Pizza a Vegetable

Is pizza a vegetable? Maybe not in most homes, but in public school cafeterias it is.

School meals that are subsidized by the government are required to contain a certain minimum of vegetables under current rules, and a serving of pizza that contains at least two tablespoons of tomato sauce meets the veggie requirement. The Obama administration recently sought to change the rule so that only a half-cup of tomato paste or more could be counted as a vegetable — part of their efforts to cut back on the amount of pizza, French fries and other “unhealthy” foods showing up on school lunch trays.

But the food industry and some lawmakers are pushing back. On Monday, Congress released the final version of a spending bill that would block the new tomato-paste rule, essentially keeping pizza in the vegetable category. The bill would also eliminate other changes the U.S. Department of Agriculture had proposed, like increasing whole grains in school meals and limiting the use of starchy vegetables to two servings a week, which would have cut back on the fries served daily at many schools.

As the Associated Press reports:

Nutritionists say the whole effort is reminiscent of the Reagan administration’s much-ridiculed attempt 30 years ago to classify ketchup as a vegetable to cut costs. This time around, food companies that produce frozen pizzas for schools, the salt industry and potato growers requested the changes and lobbied Congress….

Piling on to the companies’ opposition, some conservatives argue that the federal government shouldn’t tell children what to eat. In a summary of the bill, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee said the changes would “prevent overly burdensome and costly regulations and…provide greater flexibility for local school districts to improve the nutritional quality of meals.” School districts have said some of the USDA proposals go too far and cost too much when budgets are extremely tight.

Should pizza and French fries stay on school lunch trays? To learn more, read the full report, “Congress Pushes Back on Healthier School Lunches,” and then please join the discussion below.

42 goats slaughtered by pit bulls in Lake Los Angeles

Map shows approximate location of incident as a black square.

L.A. County Sheriff's Department officials are investigating the deadly mauling of dozens of goats by pit pulls in the Lake Los Angeles area.

Three dogs began attacking goats Monday afternoon on a property at 164th Street and Avenue Q, said Deputy Michael Rust of the Lancaster sheriff's station.

Animal-control personnel and sheriff's deputies responded and found 42 goats had been killed, he said.

The dogs were gone by the time authorities arrived, officials said.

It was unclear whether the dogs had since been caught.

ALSO:

Talking on cellphone at red light? Don’t do it, court says

UC Berkeley chancellor criticizes police in Occupy Cal clash

Zahau family takes fight to reopen mansion death to "Dr. Phil"

-- Abby Sewell

Image: A map shows the approximate location of the goat deaths as a black square. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Why we all need to talk about prostate cancer – the forgotten cancer


Prostate cancer: men tend to ignore symptoms


It appears that the uptake of breast cancer screening varies in different geographical areas of the UK. Researchers reporting to the National Cancer Research Institute's conference in Liverpool revealed that "fear, anxiety and embarrassment" were the reasons given by women for not attending breast screening – along with only being aware of two possible symptoms and assuming that "cancer would never happen to me".


GPs, nurses and health professionals are being encouraged to talk to women about breast cancer in order to raise the numbers accepting screening.


Women are much better at understanding their own bodies but if fear, anxiety and embarrassment are dissuading them from seeking screening, how much worse will it be among the male population. We know, from breast cancer in men, that the male of the species tends to ignore symptoms so that, by the time the doctor is consulted, the breast cancer has reached an advanced stage. I wonder – does the same apply to prostate and other male cancers?


This month is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – known as Movember because men, who want to raise money for the cause, stop shaving on 1st November and, by the end of the month, are sporting magnificent moustaches – for which their sponsors dig deep. It gives everyone a chance to try and raise awareness of this cancer by prompting public and private conversations.


As I am constantly being told by my male readers, prostate cancer does not have the same high profile as breast cancer – yet men need to be better educated and more aware of this disease because, in the UK, it kills one man every hour. It is the most common cancer in men.


The Prostate Cancer Charity funds a helpline – 0800 074 8383 – on which you can speak to specialist nurses; there is a discussion forum, where you can compare notes with others in the same situation; there is specialist information for men and their families. The charity also funds the Prostate Cancer Master Class, which is well-attended by GPs, nurses and specialists – who then are supposed to go out and spread the word.


The causes of prostate cancer are not well understood, the symptoms are difficult to pinpoint (and could apply to other conditions) but there is a good deal of research work and development of treatments.


At the same conference in Liverpool, a new magnetic treatment was described. Using nanoparticles to deliver white blood cells or macrophages (which are cancer fighting) directly to the heart of the prostate tumour, the results have been very promising. The more white blood cells that can be delivered, the more cancer cells that can be eliminated. It is thought that, eventually, it will be possible to use the same treatment on advanced prostate cancer, which has spread to other organs of the body.


The CancerHelp website of Cancer Research UK gives the most common symptoms of prostate cancer as being the same as a non cancerous enlargement of the prostate – which makes it all rather confusing.


The website suggests that if you have any of the following symptoms, please see your doctor – but remember that most enlargements of the prostate are not cancer and can be easily treated.


1. Having to rush to the toilet to pass urine.

2. Difficulty passing urine.

3. Passing urine more often tha usual, especially at night.

4. Pain on passing urine – but this is rare.

5. Blood in the urine or semen – but this is very rare.


It is also worth checking with your GP if you have pain in your back, hips, pelvis or other bony areas, because this may be the first sign which shows up in your body.


Raising the profile of prostate cancer will be helped enormously next year because The Prostate Cancer Charity and Breast Cancer Care are the joint official charities for the 2012 London Marathon.


In the meantime, let us all talk as freely about prostate cancer as we do about breast cancer.


www.prostate-cancer.org.uk



SeaWorld gets killer whale after custody dispute resolved

Killer whale arrives at SeaWorld
SeaWorld San Diego welcomed a new killer whale over the weekend after a months-long international custody dispute was resolved.

The 9-year-old orca Ikaika, nicknamed Ike, was at the center of a fight between a Canadian marine park and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

SeaWorld had loaned Ike to the Marineland in Niagara Falls, Canada, about five years ago as part of a breeding exchange in which SeaWorld received four beluga whales. SeaWorld said late last year it planned to cancel the exchange agreement once the initial term expired, prompting Marineland to refuse to relinquish Ike. It said SeaWorld could not unilaterally cancel the agreement and that the two parties intended Ike to stay long-term at the Canadian park.

Courts in Canada had already sided with SeaWorld in the dispute, prompting Marineland to take its case to a federal court in the U.S. But it lost there, too.

On Friday, a U.S. judge denied a request for an injunction that would have blocked SeaWorld from taking the whale. Within 24 hours of that denial, SeaWorld transported Ike overnight to San Diego.

The transfer began Saturday evening, when Ike was lifted out of his pool at Marineland and into a waiting transport truck. A witness to the procession as it drove toward an airport in Hamilton, Canada, told the Toronto Star that the caravan included at least 14 police cruisers with lights flashing, two transport trucks and a crane. The 4,000-pound animal was subsequently flown in a cargo plane to California.

"He was in the water in San Diego early Sunday morning," SeaWorld spokesman Fred Jacobs said Monday. "Everything went great."

At SeaWorld San Diego, Ike will replace Sumar, a 12-year-old male who died unexpectedly last year. Ike was born in August 2002 at SeaWorld Orlando. His father is Tilikum, the 12,000-pound whale that killed a SeaWorld Orlando trainer in February 2010.

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Man buys minivan, finds $500,000 in cocaine inside

-- Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel

Photo: Whales Ikaika, left, and Corky at SeaWorld San Diego. Credit: SeaWorld San Diego

Occupy: Day of protest begins slowly at UC Berkeley

Occupy Cal teach-in Nov 15 2011

A planned “day of action” to protest education cuts began quietly on the UC Berkeley campus Tuesday, with students hanging banners and some teachers holding classes in the early morning chill on Sproul Plaza.

Student activists working with the groups Refund California and Occupy Cal are calling on teachers and fellow students to stay out of classrooms to attend teach-ins, workshops and rallies that oppose tuition increases and call for raising taxes on big banks to fund higher education.

They are also protesting what they call excessive police force at a rally last week that resulted in dozens of arrests and several injuries. Organizers said Tuesday’s demonstrations would be peaceful and will include a march on banks in downtown Berkeley.

PHOTOS: Occupy protests

Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, now a professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, planned to hold his Mario Savio Memorial Lecture on Tuesday evening on Sproul Plaza in conjunction with the protests.

Savio was a leader in the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley in the 1960s.

Students said they also will attempt to re-establish an Occupy Cal encampment, which could provoke a police response. University officials have said they will not allow any campers.

No stargazing for suspect in thwarted telescope store burglary

A man with a possible penchant for stargazing was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly broke into a telescope store in Costa Mesa.

Police responded to the store, Scope City, after its alarm went off Sunday morning, and they saw a vehicle leaving the area, said Costa Mesa police Sgt. Ed Everett. They tailed the car to a nearby store, where the suspect, Joshua Bush, 30, of Costa Mesa, got out.

Officers detained him and got consent to search the vehicle. Bush admitted to having a handgun in the car, police said. Officers found the loaded gun in the car along with burglary tools and posters from the store, Everett said.

Bush was arrested on suspicion of burglary, weapons charges, and possession of burglary tools. He was scheduled for arraignment Tuesday.

The outer door of the store had been pried open, police said, but whoever committed the burglary was not able to get through an interior gate to access the merchandise.

ALSO:

Talking on cellphone at red light? Don’t do it, court says

UC Berkeley chancellor criticizes police in Occupy Cal clash

Zahau family takes fight to reopen mansion death to 'Dr. Phil'

-- Abby Sewell

Talking on cellphone at red light? Don’t do it, court says

Cell phone driving
If you're one of those drivers who stops at a red light and tries to sneak in a quick phone call, you might want to think twice.

A state appeals court ruled Monday that a driver at a red light is still prohibited from using a handheld cellphone.

The 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco upheld a $103 ticket against a Richmond motorist, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, finding that the driver is still technically "driving."

The newspaper reported that Carl Nelson was ticketed in December 2009 after a police officer saw him dialing a phone and holding it to his ear at a stoplight. He appealed the citation, arguing that the 2007 law that requires a hands-free cellphone device while driving applies only when a car is in motion.

Justice James Lambden said public safety could by threatened if drivers were allowed to make calls during "fleeting pauses in stop-and-go traffic, at traffic lights and stop signs, as pedestrians cross, as vehicles ahead navigate around a double-parked vehicle, and many other circumstances."

Deputy Atty. Gen. Eric Share told the Chronicle the ruling reflected "common sense."

-- Kimi Yoshino

Photo: Caltrans signs warn commuters to use a hands-free device or face a ticket. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times

UC Berkeley chancellor criticizes police in Occupy Cal clash

Occupy Cal Nov 9 2011
The chancellor of UC Berkeley is criticizing campus police for yanking the hair of Occupy Cal protesters and shoving batons into their stomachs.

Initially, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said the protesters' actions were worthy of police action during last week's campus conflict, writing in an email to the campus community:

“It is unfortunate that some protesters chose to obstruct the police by linking arms and forming a human chain to prevent the police from gaining access to the tents. This is not non-violent civil disobedience.”

But on Monday afternoon, Birgeneau released another statement, explaining he had been traveling in Asia during the protest and had not actually seen video posted of the beatings until Sunday.

John Wayne Airport’s new terminal fails test; fix underway

John Wayne Airport fails test
Contractors at John Wayne Airport are frantically working to fix the baggage-screening system in its new $120-million terminal by the end of the month.

Terminal C opened to great fanfare on Monday, but people with luggage were still sent hiking to the old terminal, the Daily Pilot reported.

The terminal failed its federal baggage-screening certification last week and officials were forced to improvise, said airport spokeswoman Jenny Wedge.

"That's just how the timing worked out for us," Wedge said. "It's unfortunate, but it's part of the process."

Wedge said the airport learned Thursday that it didn't pass, and officials were planning to work around the problem.

"We knew that there's another terminal that could handle all of this," she said.

Travelers who do not have to check bags are able to pass through security in Terminal C, while those with luggage have to walk to Terminal B -- even if they parked in the new Parking Structure C.

Wedge did not know specifically why the system failed, but she said it was checked for its security screening accuracy and its efficiency, among other aspects. The test was one of the last procedures before opening the terminal.

Some of the terminal's new concessions are also still under construction, and a customs area will remain unused until the airport begins flights to Mexico.

ALSO:

UCLA, USC statues protected early for rivalry week

Heavy D's grieving family: Rapper had 'heart of gold'

Man buys minivan, finds $500,000 in cocaine inside

-- Mike Reicher, Times Community News

Photo: The new Terminal C in John Wayne Airport failed its federal baggage-screening certification last week and officials were forced to improvise, an airport spokeswoman says. Credit: Steven Georges / Times Community News

Pot seized from boat on Carlsbad beach; three arrested

Three people were arrested and a load of marijuana seized after a panga boat came ashore at a beach in Carlsbad in northern San Diego County, officials said Tuesday.

Two suspected smugglers in the boat were arrested by the Border Patrol and one on the beach.

Smugglers are increasingly attempting to bring drugs and undocumented immigrants into the U.S. through the use of boats that, under cover of darkness, land on the beaches of San Diego County and northward.

ALSO:

Vandals smash windows on Ventura Boulevard

Man says he was tortured with fork and hammer

Heavy D's grieving family: Rapper had 'heart of gold'

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

San Jose man dies in paragliding crash

A 51-year-old man died after he crashed into a hillside while paragliding in a Santa Clara County park.

Everett A. Greel III, of San Jose, was killed Sunday afternoon after his glider began to fail near Monument Peak Trail in Ed Levin County Park, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Officials said Greel tried to open his parachute but was unable to avoid the hillside. He was conscious when emergency workers arrived but later died at the scene.

Greel’s sister, Deborah, told the Mercury News her brother was a loving father and husband, who worked on computer systems in the Silicon Valley.

ALSO:

Driver who shot CHP officer left rambling note

Occupy Oakland: Losses to the city top $2 million

Occupy Oakland: Hundreds at plaza vow to continue movement

-- Matt Stevens  

Home Cooks Rethink Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows has become a staple of many Thanksgiving tables. But if you’re ready to rethink this iconic holiday dish, a community of home cooks is here to help.

Delicious no-meat recipes for your holiday table.

Meet the chefs of Food52.com, a Web site devoted to the creativity of the home cook. Food52, created by longtime food writers Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, relies on a community of experienced home cooks who, week after week, submit original home recipes. The site hosts frequent contests, and recipe entries with the most potential are tested and put to a final vote. The best dishes have been compiled in a new book, “The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes From Exceptional Home Cooks.’’

Ms. Hesser, a former New York Times food editor, and Ms. Stubbs, who has also written for The Times, collaborated on “The Essential New York Times Cookbook” and other projects, but together discovered that their favorite dishes were often those they discovered from home cooks. As a result, they decided to create a place for home cooks to gather online to swap their best recipes and seek advice.

“People feel a sense of calm getting advice and ideas from other home cooks who have been in the trenches with them,” says Ms. Stubbs.

For the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving series, the home chefs of the Food52 community have reinvented sweet potatoes, offering four new ways to enjoy the fall vegetable. Even the most devoted casserole lovers won’t be thinking about the marshmallows when they try Southwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries With Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream. Or consider buttery, layered and caramelized Sweet Potatoes Anna With Prunes. Charge up traditional mashed potatoes by substituting mashed sweet potatoes and parsnips. Or replace the customary squash or pumpkin soup starter with a sweet potato soup infused with Middle Eastern flavors and topped with feta cheese.

Visit Well’s interactive recipe collection to see more Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes; we will be adding new dishes daily.

The Food 52 Cookbook’s
Southwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries With Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream

Sweet potato french fries will surprise everyone at your holiday table — and nobody will miss the marshmallows. The potatoes are baked, not fried, so no need to feel guilty. Chili powder, cumin, cayenne and paprika complement the natural sweetness of the potatoes. It’s probably a good idea to double this recipe, because they go fast

For the Potato Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, cut in matchsticks/batons, approximately 1/4 × 2 inches (no need to peel)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

For the Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream:
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes and olive oil in a large bowl.

2. Combine the salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Add to the potatoes and toss to coat.

3. Arrange the potatoes in one layer on a large baking sheet. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven until the undersides are browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes with a spatula and bake for 10 more minutes.

4. While the potatoes are cooking, make the sour cream sauce. Combine all the ingredients except the cilantro in a medium bowl and whisk together. Stir in the cilantro.

5. Remove the potatoes from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Serve with the sour cream.

Yield: 6 servings.

The Food 52 Cookbook’s
Sweet Potatoes Anna With Prunes

This layered sweet potato gratin comes out of the oven caramelized on the edges and glistening with butter. The potatoes in the center are soft, their layers embedded with prunes; the ones around the edges are so crisp and sweet from the port, they taste candied. Slice the potatoes thinly — use a mandoline if you have one — and check the potatoes after 35 minutes in the oven. By 40 minutes, ours were perfect.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup port
10 pitted prunes
5 to 6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Clarify the butter: In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Skim off any foam, then pour the clear liquid into a bowl, leaving behind the solids.

2. Heat the port to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the prunes, turn off the heat and let them soak until plumped, about 20 minutes. Drain and chop the prunes coarsely.

3. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

4. Brush a layer of clarified butter onto your favorite 8- or 9-inch round baking dish or ovenproof frying pan.

5. Arrange a layer of potatoes, overlapping in circles, in the dish. Brush with the clarified butter and season with salt and pepper. Arrange another layer of potatoes and sprinkle with about half the prune pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Brush with clarified butter. Repeat with one more layer of potatoes and prunes, then end with a layer of potatoes. Remember to brush each layer with clarified butter and salt and pepper. You can do four layers of potatoes or six; it’s up to you. Pack the potatoes tightly by pressing down on them with your palms. If there’s a little butter left at the end, it’s no big deal.

6. Bake until crisp and tender, 35 to 45 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then flip the cake onto a serving plate and cut into wedges. If desired, finish with a dusting of sugar and a couple of minutes of broiling, for a brûlée top. It can also be made using apples and prunes, or just apples.

Yield: 6 to 10 servings.

The Food 52 Cookbook’s
Sweet Potato Soup With Feta and Za’atar Oil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons za’atar (a spice blend that combines dried hyssop, thyme and sesame seeds and can be found at Middle Eastern grocers or other specialty stores)
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 leek, white part only, rinsed thoroughly and diced
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup feta cheese

1. In a small pot, combine 1/4 cup olive oil and the za’atar. Cook over medium heat until hot, but take care not to burn the za’atar. Set aside for at least one hour to cool and infuse.

2. In a large pot, heat the butter and remaining olive oil over medium high heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion, carrot and leek and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet potato cubes and sauté for another minute. Add the water, stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once the soup begins to boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Check to make sure the sweet potatoes are completely soft. If not, continue cooking until they are.

3. Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup using a regular or immersion blender. Check the seasoning and add the salt (you may need more or less depending on the stock you used). Ladle out the soup into individual bowls. Crumble some feta into each bowl, and drizzle each bowl with some of the za’atar oil.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

The Food 52 Cookbook’s
Sweet Potato and Parsnip Mash

1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes
1 pound parsnips
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 packed tablespoon freshly grated horseradish, divided
Additional salt and horseradish to taste
Sugar, maple syrup or honey, if needed to sweeten

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and parsnips, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.

2. Combine the sweet potato and parsnip slices, cream, butter, salt and half of the horseradish in a 3- or 4-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. This will take about 40 to 50 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher to desired texture. Stir in half of remaining horseradish, making sure to incorporate well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, additional horseradish and/or sweetener if needed. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings.

How Mike Proctor plans to turn Scarborough Hospital around


The patient must be the first priority (Photo: Martin Pope)


Mike Proctor is the man with the unenviable task of taking the disgrace that is Scarborough Hospital and turning it into a medical establishment that will be the blueprint for the future.


In April of 2012 Scarborough will come under the auspices of York Foundation Trust, which is where Mike has gained his experience, first as Director of Nursing and then as Deputy Chief Executive – therefore, he was the obvious choice as Chief Executive of Scarborough and Bridlington hospitals.


As readers of my blog will know, I have been trying, for some time, to obtain some reaction from the Scarborough Hospital Trust – and the local MP, Robert Goodwill – but, until now, with no luck. The appalling treatment (or non-treatment) my mother-in-law and I experienced pales into insignificance beside many emails I have received from readers, who describe what happened to them or their relatives. These truly heartbreaking stories spurred me on in an attempt to find answers to all their questions.


Determined to show that the appalling state of affairs at Scarborough Hospital is now recognised, Mike Proctor contacted me and asked for a meeting. I was delighted to accept and we had a most interesting discussion. Mike is well aware of the changes that are needed but, such is the current culture, it is clearly going to take up to ten years to eradicate the bad practices which have been unearthed.


Despite being swamped with complaints, Mike insists that he sees and signs each letter in reply to a patient or their family. Of course, this way, he can learn very quickly where most of the problems lie. I am sure that, if you are waiting for an answer, it will be on its way but, quite rightly, Mike is taking the time to study the subject – and many complaints are very complex.


Mike is passionate about supporting his staff so that they can give high quality patient care and, at Scarborough, is beginning the process by speaking to the nurses about their pastoral role – which, as I witnessed myself, has been forgotton in the effort to run the hospital for the convenience of the staff and not the patients. Already in place are four matrons – well-paid, to encourage high quality staff (he must have read my suggestion!) – brought in from York, whose remit is to ensure that the patient is the first priority. As I write this, I realise how extraordinary are those words – that nurses and doctors are actually having to be reminded why they are doing the job. It makes no sense to train for a job with which you simply do not have any empathy – particularly if you don't like dealing with sick and frail people. If all you want is a well-paid job, with no caring involved, do something else.


Mike is a man who does not fall into the trap of wanting to be liked; he is brave – and you need to be when faced with some of the Consultants, whose arrogance and egotistical behaviour beggars belief – I thought we had left the likes of Sir Lancelot Spratt in the last century but no, it seems that it is not just the nurses who need to learn how to be patient-friendly: he does not suffer fools gladly but neither does he place academic qualifications at the top of his list for a good nurse – we agreed that you cannot be a nurse if you place no emphasis on the true meaning of the word "nursing". After all, you "nurse" someone back to health and this requires a good deal more than popping pills.


Such has been the resistance to change at Scarborough Hospital that there have been 6 Chief Executives and 8 Directors of Finance in the past 7-8 years. I am sure they have tried their best but to no avail. I cannot help wondering what the members of the North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust thought they were doing? Where was Sir Michael Carlisle – Chairman of the Trust Board – while all this was going on? Was he not concerned about the downward spiral that his hospital was taking? Was he not aware of the bad publicity, the endless letters of complaint – not to mention the litigation? Had he thrown in the towel along with his parade of CEO's and FD's?


However, I left our meeting with the distict feeling that if anyone can achieve a good result for this hospital, it will be Mike Proctor but what follows is a small illustration of just how hard his job is going to be. A couple of days ago my husband visited his Mother in her Care Home (where most of the residents have dementia of some kind). The lady who runs the Home told him that one of the female residents had been returned to the Home from Scarborough Hospital with a needle still in her arm. I despair – as I am sure will Mike. How could that possibly have happened? Did no nurse notice? Again, this is an elderly, fragile and vulnerable patient, unable to communicate, who has been treated in a totally unprofessional manner. One of the Carers rang Scarborough Hospital and complained, so the hospital was made aware of the situation but did not respond except to apologise. When I checked this with the Care Home, I was told that another patient was sent back with someone else's medication – which, thank goodness, the Carer noticed before administering any of it. Again, the hospital was contacted. The impression given to the Carers is that "Scarborough Hospital does not care about our complaints". I know this does not apply to Mike Proctor – who cares passionately.


I am not sure whether or not it was the complaint about the needle that spurred someone into action, but I understand that there is now a check-list which has to be completed before a patient is discharged – and one of the questions is "Have all the needles been removed?". While this is excellent news, it does make me wonder why university graduate nurses cannot think to make these checks for themselves.


Mike – I wish you luck from the bottom of my heart.



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